Genowefa "Ela" Skibniewska

Genowefa "Ela" Skibniewska of North Caldwell, NJ., died Sunday January 24, 2021 at home surrounded by family.

Family and friends may call on the family Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. at Paul Ippolito-Dancy Memorial, 9 Smull Ave., Caldwell, N.J. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 at 12 noon at Norte Dame Church, 349 Central Ave., North Caldwell, N.J., followed by the entombment at St. Michael's Church, 120 Saddle River Rd, South Hackensack, NJ 07606.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings the funeral home will admit 50 guest inside at a time. Face masks and social distancing are required inside the funeral home, church and at the cemetery.)

Born February 23, 1933, in Leoncin, Poland, Mrs. Skibniewska was the daughter of Leon and Leokadia Pregowska Fronczak.

Ela and her husband Boleslaw settled in Warsaw, Poland and raised their two children. Mrs. Skibniewska worked in a variety of service and support roles in the childcare sector. Following their retirements, Ela and her husband emigrated to the United States in 1992 to be near their children. They were employed as caretakers at the Felician Sisters Retreat House on Lake Hopatcong in Mt. Arlington, NJ. She also worked as an in-home health aide on weekends for many years.

Following the death of her husband in 2001, Ela moved to North Caldwell, NJ to live with her daughter Katherine and son- in- law Jerry. She was a tremendous help in raising her grandchildren and took great pride in all their accomplishments. Babcia was well known to their friends and families in the neighborhood and always set the standard for what it means to be a kind and caring person. Ela put everyone else's needs before her own. She enjoyed cooking, sewing, and gardening with a "green" thumb that made anything she planted flourish. She enjoyed caring for and the companionship of family dogs Ogar and Riley. Babcia was a regular attendee at her grandchildren's school events and award ceremonies.

Mrs. Skibniewska was predeceased by her beloved husband of 40 years, Boleslaw Jozef Skibniewski. She leaves behind her daughter Katherine S. Murnane and husband Jeremiah III and her son Jacek Adam Skibniewski and wife Malgorzata; and grandchildren, Jeremiah IV and Caroline. She is also survived by her sisters, Danuta and Wanda, and brothers, Wladyslaw and Stanislaw, and was predeceased by a sister Teresa and brothers Wieslaw, Jozef and Eugeniusz.

In lieu of flowers, contributions would be appreciated to The Cancer Center at St Barnabas Medical Center 95 Old Short Hills Road, West Orange, NJ 07052 or at https://www.rwjbh.org/saint-barnabas-medical-center/giving/give-now/